Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-11-25
Limitation of Territorial Legislation


An act to prohibit the passage OF local
or special laws in the Territories of
the United States, to limit TerritOr-
ial Indebtedness, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Unit
ed States of America in Congress as
sembled, That the legislatures of the
Territories of the United States now
or hereafter to be organized shall not
pass local or special laws in any of the
following enumerated cases, that is to
say:
Granting divorces.
Changing the names of persons OF
places.
Laying out, opening, altering, and
working roads or highways.
Vacating roads, town. plats, streets
alleys, and public grounds.
Locating or changing county seats.
Regulating county and township
affairs.
Regulating the practice of courts OF
justice.
Regulating the jurisdiction and
duties of justices of the peace, police
magistrates, and constables.
Providing for changes of venue in
civil and criminal cases.
Incorporating cities, towns, OF
villages, or changing or amending the
charter of any town, city or village.
For the punishment of crimes or
misdemeanors.
For the assessment and collection
of taxes for Territorial, comfy, town
ship, or road purposes.
Summoning and impancling grand
or petit jurors.
Providing for the management OF
common schools.
Regulating the rate of interest on
money.
The opening and conducting of any
election or designating the place OF
voting.
The sale or mortgage of real estate
belonging to minors or others under
disability.
The protection of game or fish.
Chartering or licensing ferries or
toll bridges.
Renting fines, penalties, or for.
FIXTURES.
Creating, increasing, or decreasing
fees, percentage, or allowances of pub
lie officers during the term for which
said officers are elected or appointed.
Changing the law of descent.
Granting to any corporation, asso-
citation, or individual the right to lay
down railroad tracks, or amending
existing charters for such purpose.
Granting to any corporation, as
ISOLATION, or individual any special or
exclusive privilege, immunity, or
franchise whatever.
In all other cases where general
law can be made applicable, no spec
ial law shall be enacted in any of the
Territories Of the United States by the
Territorial legislatures thereof.
SEC. 2. That no Territory of the
United States now or hereafter to be
organized, orany municipal or political
corporation or subdivision Of any
such Territory. shall hereafter make
any subscription to the capitaf stock
of any incorporated company,lQr COM
pany or association having corporate
powers, or in any manner loan its
credit to or use it for the befeft of
any such company or association, or
borrow any money for the use4of any
such company or association.
SEC. 3. That no law of an v Terri
torial legislature shall authorize any
debt to be contracted by or ons behalf
OF such Territory except in the follow
ing cases: To meet Il casual deficit in
the revenues, to pay the interest upon
the Territorial debt, to suppress in
surrections, or to provide for the pub
lie defense, except that in addition to
any indebtedness created for such
purposes, the Legislature may author
ize loan for the erection OF penal
charitable or educational institutions
for such Territory, if the total indebted
ness of the Territory is not thereby
made to exceed one per centum upon
the assessed value of the taxable pro-
perty in such Territory as shown by
the last general assessment for taxa.
ton. And nothing in this act shall
be construed to prohibit the refunding
OF any existing Indebtedness of such
Territory or of any political or NUM-
clpal corporation, county or other
subdivision therein.
SEC. 4. That no political or NUM-
cipal corporations, county, or other
subdivision in any of the Territories
of the United States shall ever become
indebted In any manner or for any
purpose to any amount in the aggre.
gate, including existing Indebtedness
exceeding four per centum on the
value OF the taxable property within